The winning didn’t end there as coach Jeff Fleck got the nod as Coach of the Year and Rylie Jeanneret was recognized as Rookie of the Year. Jeanneret was also named to the second team all-conference while teammate Mia Sayles was all-conference honorable mention.
The young but confident Raiders — winners of two of four previous OBC events this season — led the conference standings heading into the final tournament in Columbus on Feb. 17.
“We’ve been strong all year in Baker so our confidence was pretty high,” Fleck said. “Winning this was one of our goals this season.”
After 35 Baker games at the Columbus Square Bowling Palace, the Raiders remained atop the standings, topping runner-up Ohio State by more than 150 pins.
“And all eight of our bowlers got playing time which was great,” Fleck said. “And five of the eight are freshmen. It’s really exciting to see them maturing.”
Assistant coach Collen McKee, who graduated from the Raiders program in 2018, has seen the progression of the young bowlers all season.
“Our freshmen were hungry from the beginning, they wanted to put in the work,” McKee said. “Our varsity team is a really talented group that challenges each other every day.”
Talent and determination will be vital as the Raiders embark on their next challenge — the 2024 Intercollegiate Team Championships. In its 50th year, the national USBC event brings together 80 women’s and 80 men’s teams divided among four sectional sites. The top four teams in each sectional advance to the national tournament at Kingpin Lanes in Kentucky, April 17-20.
“Stamina is going to be so important with 32 games each day,” McKee said. “They will also need to be mentally tough and able to stay in the moment.”
McKee knows firsthand what goes into qualifying to nationals as she competed on the Raiders team that did just that in 2017.
Wright State will compete at Stardust Bowl in the sectional at Addison, Illinois, on March 9-10.
“Everything is trending in the right direction,” Fleck said.
McKee agrees.
“The future is bright for this team,” she said.
Ohio Bowling Conference Championship
1. Wright State University 6,543
2. Ohio State University 6,392
3. University of Northwestern 6,233
4. Walsh University 6,169
5. Shawnee State University 6,133
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